Fire Light
by BellatrixLestrangey
Summary: One shot. Takes place six years after the comet. Azula and Ruon-Jian (Chan's friend from the beach) reminisce on the past. Azula ponders upon what it would be like to see her family again after so long.


Azula gazed into the flickering flame of the candle; it was the only light in the room. She sought comfort in it. The way it danced on the wick had a calming effect.

Left.

Right.

Left.

A slow and drawling sway.

Azula closed her eyes and let the smell of smoke—tainted with berry—tickle her nose. One breath after another. Slow. Steady.

She opened them once more. She flicked her finger in the direction of the flame, it dimmed to a shade of familiar blue and sputtered. She flicked her finger again setting the flame a flutter. She rested her arms upon the table, and her head upon her arms.

And she stared.

For how long she couldn't exactly tell. It didn't matter, she had all the time in the world.

After a while Azula could feel her arms grow tired, an ever so slight tingling sensation fizzed beneath her skin. So she shifted positions.

Growing bored she raised her pointer and dragged it to the left and to the right—the flame followed like metal to a magnet. Feeling a spark of creativity, the firebender traced her finger in a spiraling motion in the air. With ease the flame chased after it.

"Are you playing with candles again?"

"Not candles…fire."

Ruon-Jian took a seat next to her. "What are you thinking about this time?"

"What makes you think that I'm thinking at all?" Azula shrugged.

"Well I can't name many people who simply stare at candles." The man replied.

"I think about a lot of things." Azula answered quietly. "I think about too much perhaps."

"While we're in the kitchen do you want something to eat?"

"Not hungry." Azula answered tossing her hair over her shoulder. "Aren't you going to ask me what I'm thinking about?"

"You'll tell me if you want to." Ruon-Jian said as he poured himself a glass of water.

"I'm thinking about my family. We used to always come up here…to Ember Island. I haven't seen any of them in years. Not since my dad left me behind to become the Phoenix King. Not since I…" She trailed off.

"Since you what?" Ruon-Jian asked.

"Not since I lost my mind, tried to kill my mother, and ran away into the Forgetful Valley." Azula tried to reply casually. But how could a person discuss trying to murder their own mother in a matter-of-factly manner? "People don't think I dwell on it…" Her voice fell short again. What else was there to really say?

"That's kind of what happens when you make yourself out to be…uh…heartless and merciless."

Azula kicked him under the table. Her mischievous grin faded quickly. "Do you think I'm heartless and merciless?"

"Merciless, yes. Heartless, no."

"I sometimes wonder if they miss me. Or even think about me." Azula got back on topic. "If they'd welcome me home or if they'd send me away."

"They're your family, of course they'd welcome you home."

"My father didn't welcome Zu-Zu…Zuko home. I certainly didn't. Why should he?"

Ruon-Jian pondered upon it. It would be unrealistic to rule out the negative possibilities. "Even if they turn their backs on you, you have me."

"It doesn't really matter." Azula replied. "I don't care to give it a try." Truth be told Azula didn't really want to know. She preferred to go unanswered as opposed to rejected. She sighed and went back to staring at the flame. It was dying out.

Ruon-Jian opened the balcony door. "It's a nice night out. Lots of stars. Kind of breezy."

Azula stood up, stretched, and joined him on the balcony—arms resting on the banister as she looked down at the rolling waves.

Ruon-Jian put his arm around her.

"Sometimes I think about what would happen if I ran into Zu-zu…and my mother on the beach. What would we talk about?"

"You can tell them about your sexy husband." Ruon-Jian.

"What sexy husband? I married you. Chan was always the sharp one."

"How sharp?"

"I'm not going to recite that pickup line, if _that's_ what you're expecting." Azula muttered as she set one of the torches ablaze. It flickered blue before settling into a soft warm glow. "So much has changed since that day…"

"Yeah, that's kind of what happens when a few years go by."

"Six…six years."

"You keep track?"

"You don't?" The wind tugged gently at her hair. "Six years ago I had a palace, servants, power. I had everything."

"Everything but love." He paused. "Change doesn't have to be bad."

"I never said it was. I like it here…I like this. It's simple and easy."

"But…"

"I really miss not having to tie my hair up myself. And my old bedroom." Azula filled in.

"But isn't walking on the beach and making Chan feel bad much funner?"

"I suppose." Azula looked at the stars, she watched the smoke trail up to meet them.

She and Ruon-Jian hadn't much more to say on the matter. He was rather content to just stand behind the firebender and run his fingers through her hair. He'd learned at some point in their relationship that Azula enjoyed her hair being stroked.

She looked across the beach.

Chan's beach mansion.

"Remember when you called Zu-Zu 'loser boy'?"

"I couldn't come up with anything better."

"You had a vast array of insults to choose from…and you chose loser boy." Azula laughed. "We totally trashed that party." Azula mused. "Ty-Lee was swinging from the chandelier! One of us flipped a table…it was my idea!" She declared proudly.

"Yup, that'll be a great story to tell our kid." Ruon-Jian wrapped his arms around her belly.

"Yeah," Azula trailed off. "And the fact that I'm going to have a kid will be a great story to tell my family…" _One day._ The words were on the tip of her tongue but didn't make it out.

_One day._


End file.
